Photograph by Matt Walljasper
Now that the summer heat is gone for another year, film crews have returned, and in greater numbers. A few new productions have joined several holdovers from last month, bringing a galaxy’s worth of big stars to Atlanta, many already spotted around town. Grab your camera and get ready to experience more movie magic as we take you through what’s been filming this month.
Splitting time between here and New York, Clint Eastwood’s newest directorial endeavor, Sully (production code: KIKI), brings Tom Hanks, Laura Linney, and Aaron Eckhart to Atlanta. The film tells the story of Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the U.S. Airways pilot who famously landed Flight 1549 in the Hudson River after it flew into a flock of Canada geese. Sully has only been shooting for about a week, starting out in Hampton. It then moved to a well-spotted shoot at 191 Peachtree on October 14 and 15. Recently, a basecamp was spotted behind Lenox Square.
Cheers! #ClintEastwood! Having a pint with our GM Ian after a long day of filming #Sully at #meehansdowntown! pic.twitter.com/5XuXDSBYmU
— Meehans Public House (@MeehansPubHouse) October 15, 2015
Owen Wilson has also made a presence in Midtown and downtown while working on his new comedy, Bastards (LCP). The film also stars J.K. Simmons, Atlanta native Ed Helms, and Ving Rhames. So far, Wilson has been spotted at Ponce City Market and the Living Room at the W Atlanta Midtown hotel. Bastards, on the other hand, has moved all over metro Atlanta. In early October, scenes were shot in Tucker off of Lavista Road. From there, crews moved to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, transforming it into both Raleigh-Durham and New York City. Between October 12 through 14, a funeral and a fight were filmed near Marietta Square. Production then moved to Riverdale and back to the airport at the end of last week. Most recently, LCP signs were plopped along Peachtree Road in Buckhead near Wesley Road.
Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt have excited everyone in Atlanta during their time on Passengers (PLASS). Last month, we warned that this film would primarily be sticking to the soundstage, but that hasn’t stopped it from going on location a few times. In late September, signs were spotted near West Peachtree and 4th Streets. Since then, they’ve been popping up sporadically in Fayetteville.
The Playstation Network’s (yes, as in the gaming console) original programming Powers (SIC’EM) returned to Atlanta to shoot its second season. While the show retained its SIC’EM code from last year, it’s also been seen marked by MESQUITE signs. There’s no mystery here; Powers is produced by Mesquite Productions. Still, it’s unusual to see a dual code production in Atlanta. Powers started off October on Buford Highway with a car crash scene. We also saw filming in Fairlie-Poplar between October 9 and 13. Production crept northward to the Civic Center on October 16 and is now working on a huge protest scene in Brookhaven near the town’s MARTA station.
A new film in town, Fist Fight (S&K), brings a star-studded cast including Christina Hendricks, Ice Cube, Charlie Day, and Dean Norris. If that’s not enough to ramp up excitement, Fist Fight will also include one of Tracy Morgan’s first featured roles since his car accident last year. The film has flown in under the radar so far, only popping up in late September in east Cobb County and off of Moreland Avenue.
While production is winding down on Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (T2P), it filmed at Crestlawn Cemetery on October 13. Hot Summer Nights (HSN) filmed in Newnan on September 25. Mother’s Day (FALCON) finished out September in Decatur and at Ye Olde Dunwoody Tavern. On October 5 and 6, scenes were filmed at the Atlanta Improv. For the crowd scenes, the public was invited to join as extras. They weren’t paid, but eager participants had a chance to win prizes and earn major bragging rights.
NBC’s Game of Silence (GOS) had signs off of Pleasant Hill Road and I-85 for October 7 and filmed at the Fulton County Airport on Monday. Sleepy Hollow (SH) threw a toga party at Rhodes Hall on October 13 before moving on to Conyers. Containment (1159) escaped its northwest Atlanta soundstage to film around the Gold Dome between October 6 through 8, and The Vampire Diaries (LOC) shot a snowy winter wonderland in downtown Stone Mountain. MTV’s Finding Carter (WHO) also continues to shoot around the south suburbs.
We’ve also received word that Stone Mountain native Donald Glover’s show Atlanta has been picked up for a full season order by FX. Between that, the upcoming HBO series Brothers in Atlanta, Containment, Game of Silence, Mother’s Day, and the totally-not-Dallas drama Buckhead, Atlanta will soon have lot of screen time as itself—not just as a stand in for another city. We haven’t seen this happen too often in Georgia’s filmmaking history. Honestly, we’re just glad that for once, Atlanta won’t be the center of the apocalypse in all of its shows.
